Refractive glass for automobile-lamps



H. S. EVANS.

v REFRACTIVE GLASS FOR AUTOMOBILE LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, I917.

1,342,744.. w v Patented June 8, 1920.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD S. EVANS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOB TO MAGBETH- EVANS GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Application filed February 23, 1917. Serial .No. 150,364.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HOWARD S. EvANs, a citizen of .the United States, residing at Pittsbur h, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pensylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refractive Glass for Automobile-Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the glasses or lenses as they are sometimes termed for lamps or headlights used on automobiles or other vehicles. The invention has for its primary object; the provision of an unproved glass arranged to bend the llght down somewhat from the horizontal and diffuse it laterally so as to reduce the glare,

ing to intercept the upwardly directed rays of light from the lamp and direct them.

downwardly. Another purpose is to give a pleasing and distinctive appearance to the glass. A portion 9 extends laterally, or substantially horizontally, from the upper edge of the lower portion to the lower edge of the vizor or upper portion, uniting such edges in the manner clearly seen in Fig. 1.

The lower portion of the glass has upon its front face the horizontal refracting ridges 5 terminating at the holding annulus 6. These ridges have their front faces inclined at a slight angletothe vertical and serve to refract the rays of light, downwardly giving' greater illumination upon the road and preventing the light from being so objectionable as viewed from the front at a substantial elevation above the lamp. 2

The rear side of the glass is provided with a plurality of concave recesses 7 alternating with the ridges .8 and extending from the annulus 6 to the vizor. Refracting means are thus provided dividing the'l ens up into a plurality of sections and serving to direct the light laterally. This feature greatly reduces the glare of the light as viewed from the front, but the lateral direction is not sufficient to scatter the light too greatly. The glass thus provides for two refractions, one downwardly and the other laterally, and if desired both sets of refracting means might be placed upon the same face of the lens. When the glass or lens is used in a headlight for an automobile or like vehicle, the enamel coating on the vizor forms an interior reflector. Light rays strike this vizor reflector both directly from the source of illumination and indirectly by reflection from the main reflector of the lamp. The former are for the most part reflected by the vizor reflector backwardly upon the lamp reflector, by which they are in turn reflected outwardly through the lower portion 2 of the lens; While the latter, which are substantially horizontal parallel rays, are largely reflected downwardly through the lateral portion 9. Thus the rays of light, which usually pass through the upper portion of a lamp glass and are not only useless for roadway illumination but form an objectional glare, are, by the lamp glass made according to this invention, conserved and utilizedfor desirable. road illumination. The small portion of light rays which pass through the colored substantially opaque coating of the vizor serves to give the lamp a pleasing and distinctive appearance.

The light rays passing through the lower portion 2 of the lens are directed downwardly and laterallysufliciently to properly illuminate the roadway bothin front and to the sides of an automobile.

What I claim is:

1. An integrally formed cover glass for a vehicle headlight, comprising a lower light transmitting and refracting portion, an upper vizor portion protruding beyond said lower portion and being provided with an interiorly reflecting face, and a. laterally ex tending portion joining the lower edge of the vizor portion with the upper edge of the portion being bowed out from its edges to its center. so as to overhang the clear portion 'and constitute a vizor and being provided with an inner white reflecting surface.

3. An integrally formed cover glass for a vehicle headlight, comprising a lower light transmitting portionprovided with refracting elements for directing the light'downwardly and laterally, an upper vizor portion .protruding beyond said lower portion and being provided with an interiorly reflecting face, and a laterally extending portion joining the lower edge of the vizor portion with of vertical members disposed in substantial parallelism and provided with curved faces whereby to refract tlie-light'rays in opposite directions at each side of'the vertical axis of the glass, and said glass being provided with an interiorly at itsiupper portion with means to deflect light rays downwardly.

5. An integrally formed cover glass for a edge of the vizor portion with the upper edge of the lower portion.

6. An integrally formed cover glass for a vehicle headlight, comprising a lower portion of clear glass provided with horizontally. disposed prisms to-.direct light down-- wardly and with vertical cylindrical elements to direct light laterally, an upper vizor portion protruding beyond said lower portion, said vizor portion being rendered substantially opaque and being provided reflecting surface, and a laterally extending portion joining the lower edge of the vlzor portion with the upper edge of the lower portion.

. HOWARD S. EVANS. 

